So we have been back in the US of A for about 6 weeks now and unashamedly enjoying ourselves. The language is familiar, the markets are boring but easy to use (excepting NUGGET, which is Extraordinary!) and the hometown is clean and newish looking compared to olde Ligniere's medieval rustic-ness. The roof repair had to wait until summer as we were leaving and the job just didn't seem to have any priority either with us or with the very busy French roofer. So this morning an email came, from our friends at the Lignieres Tourist Office with the message that our roof is now repaired, no demand for payment, no signing of a contract, nothing...just that the holes are all fixed and the roof is "as new". Amazing! You might wonder why the roof had problems, well, the roof is covered with the thinest of slate tiles, black, shiny (when new) and above all else brittle. Storms come and go with great regularity in the eastern Loire Valley and some of these drop amazing amounts of hail. Hail is hard, imagine sloppy iceballs up to baseball sized dropping at 100 mph and you have the picture. Slate is strong but not THAT strong and a 1" - 2" hail stone can create many chips and holes with subsequent leaks.
When we bought the "petit maison" I counted three small holes with sunlight pouring through them, each less than 1" in size. Upon asking I was told that was "a puh"...a little, meaning there was little to worry about. So I didn't worry. In the 3 years gone by the roof has been stormed upon again and again. I ignore the granerie (attic) as much as possible as it is uncomfortable with no heat in the winter and less cooling from the one window in the summer and at all times very, very dark. As I carried boxes of clothing from the summer up to be stored this last winter I noticed there were many more damaged areas, perhaps 15-20. So I got concerned asked our buddies at the Tourist Office is they knew anyone who could fix our roof and they said "Yes, of course!". Some few days later the specialist in slate roofs appeared at our door and did a cusory but seemingly adequate (for him) inspection of the roof. That was the last we saw of him. Now it is all fixed. We have paid nothing, but will, of course, as soon as we figure out a method. I'm so amazed by the hospitality and follow thru of our French friends, bless them all!
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Our tickets are now purchased for our return trip. $720 dollars on United RT each amidst this current oil crisis is not bad. Most fares were in excess of 1000 dollars. We'll leave in early September and return in mid-January. 4 1/2 months of our lovely France. We'll take also a trip to Split and the Roman ruins of Diocletian's Palace in Croatia as part of our journey before Ashley comes over (though she'd be really handy to have in light of the length of the driving). She's planning on coming in early December and staying until we all return, some 6 weeks all total. We bought her the ticket as a birthday present for her 40th. We love her and she's a great deal of fun and usefullness when we're there too. A great sous chef she is too!
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We attended our first French Class at Cafe Society in Napa last Monday at 6pm (sharp!) Very nice indeed! Conversational French, with a group of like challenged (some more than Others!) individuals both male and female. Lots of laughs, French chatter, a glass of a good Cote Du Rhone in hand and the study papers from the teacher herself. We feel we're trying to gain the necesaary knowledge to chat with our friends in Lignieres, it might not actually Work for us, but the effort is being made at least. Driven by that knowledge and a dose of good old Guilt we go back tonight for our second class and are looking forward to it, of course!
